Greenville Police Patrolling Holiday Shopping Areas

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By
Amanda Wade

Story Created:
Dec 17, 2013 at 6:30 PM CST

With Christmas just eight days away, shoppers are down to the wire, and some police officers are out in full force to watch for holiday crime.

Greenville police say they are working overtime in an effort to keep holiday crime at bay by regularly patrolling inside their city's stores and keeping their eyes on the parking lots, "We put extra officers out in the shopping centers to provide a deterrence to any type of crime, whether it be a misdemeanor or a serious violent felony such as a robbery," says Curtis Miller, a Sr. Sargent Patrol Watch Commander for the Greenville Police Department.

While doing holiday shopping, the police chief says it's important to be aware of your surroundings and not to leave valuables sitting in the car.

"We look for people in the parking lot who seem to be just wandering around in the parking lot, who don't have any apparent reason to be in the parking lot, and these people are usually trying to look for something where they can smash and grab something out of a car," says Chief Lonzo Ingram.

The manager of Walmart in Greenville says because there are so many people shopping during the holiday season he has noticed thieves aren't shoplifting as much because more people could see them.

The police chief also says to be most cautious at night while finishing your holiday shopping. And if you are leaving a store and feel unsafe, go back inside and have an employee or manager walk with you to your car.